


Frogs

by FlOrangey



Category: Fabula Nova Crystallis: Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Brotherly Love, Feels, Friendship, Frogs, Gen, M/M, Male Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-30
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-03-26 10:53:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3848275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlOrangey/pseuds/FlOrangey
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Noctis always liked frogs ever since Gladiolus taught him how to catch one. Even during bad times the little critters made him smile, especially when his friend was by his side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Frogs

**Author's Note:**

> I finally finished the Cherished Frogs mission in the demo and this immediately came to mind! So I wrote it while watching the Active Time Report and on my days off. I've wanted to do something with Noctis and Gladiolus - and just them - for awhile and needed a break from a multi chapter piece I'm working with. I'm sorry for the lack of Prompto in this piece, but something I'm working on later will more than make up for it.

  _“Prince!”_ Gladiolus called as he ran through the castle. He had gone from concerned to outright panic when he realized the young prince had managed to run off. He had not even turned his back for thirty seconds and the next thing he knew he was gone. How a three year old child managed to slip away without making any noise Gladiolus did not know and did not care, what was more important was finding where he had gone.

His father had told him that as prince Noctis was very important and that as the eldest in their family - at seven - it was his responsibility to protect and keep an eye on him. Which he tried very hard to do but when Noctis decided to run off, he was near impossible to find. Thankfully Gladiolus knew some of his favorite hiding spots. He checked the small boys room first, then with a servants help checked the king’s. No sign of him. He was not in the dining room and to his eternal relief he was not in the library trying to climb one of the bookshelves to get his favorite book. Thank Etro he wasn’t trying that again.

Gladiolus frowned starting to worry when he remembered that yesterday had been a warm day and Noctis had been asking a lot about frogs. Frogs. He was probably in the courtyard. Gladiolus went there walking the walkway until he found the small prince by the lake lying on the grass. His first thought was that he had been hurt, but the prince’s bright blue eyes were wide open and he was staring at the small brown frogs in the grass. “Prince!” He called an the boy jumped looking up and around before his eyes fell on Gladiolus.

“Gadio!” The small boy yelled running over. He was not very fast. How did he manage to get all the way to the courtyard without him noticing? Gladiolus frowned and Noctis stopped in his steps his face going from excited to nervous and confused in a second. He looked at him with large blue eyes that made his face soften. It was hard to stay mad at Noctis. “What wrong?”

“You had me worried, I didn’t know where you went.” He said. Noctis looked down at the ground knowing immediately that he did something wrong even if he was not quite sure what it was.

“I’m sorry.” He said his voice cracking. Gladiolus put a warm hand on the boys shoulder.

“Hey hey don’t cry. Just don’t run off like that anymore. Okay?” He said and Noctis nodded rubbing his eyes. “Whatcha doing out here?”

“I wanted to play with the frogs.” Noctis said. “They’re all ribbity!”

“Ribbity huh?” Gladiolus said amused by the three year olds word choice. Noctis nodded and grabbed Gladiolus arm looking at him with large eyes as he pulled on him. His small arms were not strong enough to actually move the larger man but Gladiolus liked to pretend for the little boy that he was pulling him along. “Alright take me to see the frogs.”

Noctis did so, moving as fast as his legs would carry him and let go of Gladiolus hand as he got near the small pond in the large courtyard. He knelt down and watched them giggling as they he saw them hop and make noises. “I like frogs.” Noctis said seeming to have come to that conclusion within about two minutes. Gladiolus took a seat on the grass. At three years old Noctis was still fascinated by small things and could go on for hours just looking at pictures in books or ‘playing’ the piano. Today’s fascination was frogs, which had carried over from yesterday. He watched as Noctis smiled watching them then frowned an idea forming in his head.

Before Gladiolus could ask what he was thinking about he saw Noctis leap and land flat on his stomach with a loud splash as part of him fell into the pond. Gladiolus was at his feet in seconds as he saw the small prince sit up, watching dripping down his face and arms his t-black shirt taking on a wet look as drops dribbled down it. “Are you okay?” He asked and Noctis looked at him then at the ground. He looked left to see another small brown frog and repeated the same action. Now he was soaked head to toe and Gladiolus grabbed him and lifted him out of the water. He started to fidget in protest.

“Let go!” The small prince protested.

“Don’t do that you're going to get sick.” He said calmer of the two. His father kept telling him he had to be gentle with the little prince as he was to young to understand things Gladiolus did.

“But I wanna catch the frog!” The small boy protested. So that was what was going through the little boys mind.

“You aren’t going to catch it like that.” Gladiolus said. “Stop squirming!”

“But I wanna catch it!”

“I’ll show you!” Noctis stopped squirming and looked at him. Gladiolus smiled, “You listen and I’ll show you how okay?”

The statement brought a large smile to the three year olds face and he nodded. His eyes were beaming with his smile, a smile Gladiolus liked to see on his face. “Okay just do what I do.” Gladiolus said and he made sure that Noctis was watching him as he moved around. There was another somewhat larger frog on dry land, a perfect specimen to show Noctis how to catch it. He would show him first then try and explain to him.

He moved a little closer to the frog approaching it from behind and being as quiet and gentle as possible as he grabbed it’s hips and back legs scooping it in his hand. He heard little Noctis make a noise in awe. “And that’s how you do it. You don’t need to jump for them.” Gladiolus told him. The small boy did not appear to be listening seeming more interested in the frog that was currently in the older's hand. “You wanna hold it?” He asked. Noctis nodded. “Okay, be gentle.”

Noctis’ hands were much smaller so he needed to hold it with too. He blinked as he looked at the frog. “His throat keeps moving in and out.”

“He’s breathing.” Gladiolus said and the boy made another small noise as he watched the small animal resting in his hands. He frowned and moved his hands closer to his face to get a better look at the small animal.

“He’s funny looking.”

“Yeah well I’m sure he’s thinking the same thing about you.” Gladiolus said and Noctis looked at him frowning.

“I’m not funny looking.” The small boy protested before looking back at the frog head tilted with fascination at it. The frog made small croaking noises which the three year old emulated along with making other sounds of chatter as though he was talking to the frog and giggling like he had just told a funny joke. Either that or he was pretending the frog did, the boys imagination could be confusing at times. His grip was gentle and the frog seemed to become relaxed in Noctis’ presence, the boy enjoying walking around with the small creature in his hands, the desire to catch one long forgotten.

Unfortunately the moment was cut short when Noctis nose scrunched up and he sneezed. The frog, startled by the sudden noise lept out of his hands and onto the grass, then jumped again in the water swimming off. The boy looked at it confused then frowned before moving to chase after it. Gladiolus grabbed him by the shirt before he could get his shoes wet.

“Hey don’t go chasing it.” He said. Noctis looked at him a pout on his face that left as he sneezed again and shivered. His clothes were soaked. If the little boy got sick it would be on him. “Come on we’re going inside. You're gonna get sick if we don’t get you dried off.”

“No, I’m fine…” Noctis said but his voice was weak and he lifted his arms up wanting Gladiolus to carry him. The older considered saying no before shrugging and lifting Noctis off the ground balancing him in his arms. Noctis was short and light for his age and Gladiolus was a bit on the tall side so lifting him was little trouble especially after Noctis wrapped his small arms around him. The boy felt cool to the touch, very much in need of being dried off. “Gadio?” The boy asked having settled comfortably against him.

“Yes prince?”

“Noctis.” The boy said. “Name is Noctis.”

The correction made Gladiolus smile. “What is it Noctis?”

“Can we catch frogs later?”

“Of course. Whenever you want. But we should get you into some dry clothes first.” He said and Noctis nodded letting him be carried inside.

* * *

 

It had been a month since the accident, a week since he was released from the hospital, and Noctis was still confined to his bed. The ten year old slept for days at a time, only waking to eat or to use the bathroom, his room less resembled a bedroom and more a sterile emergency room with painted walls and a dresser in it. Gladiolus stood outside his bedroom door each day waiting for news about his condition. The healers when asked assured him and there friend Ignis that while it might not seem like it Noctis was slowly improving. That news was enough to keep Gladiolus calm, but Ignis was prone to panicking, pacing back and forth as they waited outside the bedroom. Noctis father was inside, the man stayed by his sons side as much as his busy schedule would allow.

“I don’t understand. The crystal gave him its blessing, he should be healing faster than this.” The adviser in training said fingers on his glasses as he tried to make sense of everything that was happening.

“No one really knows how the crystal works Iggy. The king asked it to save Noct and it did and that’s it.”

“I know. Without the crystals blessing he would have died, but who knows what it’s power is doing to his body. A adult can barely to wield the crystals power let alone a child. What if his body can’t handle it? And this ‘focus’ he was mumbling about, we still don’t know what that means. He probably doesn’t understand it either. What if-?” Ignis was asking a dozen questions at once and Gladiolus put a hand in front of him to stop the younger from trying to run a hole in the ground.

“Easy there. You keep panicking like this and you’ll have grey hairs by the time you're twenty.” Gladiolus said, “I’m worried too but panicking isn’t going to make Noct better. Being for him and helping him when he starts coming around will. We should be looking for answers and be by his side.”

Ignis took a deep breath trying to calm himself down “You’re right, I should be doing research instead of worrying. The more I know about the crystal the easier it will be to make things easier for him.”

Gladiolus grinned liking that idea, but found himself trying to add a little humor. “Or you can help me put together a get well present. I’m thinking we get him a cake or something colorful to brighten his room up.” Gladiolus suggestions made Ignis crack a smile.

“Perhaps. A slice of cake would not hurt him or any of us. Though we should try for something with as little sugar as possible.” The advisor in training said and Gladiolus rolled his eyes. Ignis was twelve, the last thing that should have been on his mind was how much sugar he was consuming from eating a slice of cake. He did not have the opportunity to voice that statement, the doors opened and the two stood at attention as the King stepped out of the room, the lead healer next to him. Regis face was worn, almost a sickly grey tired from stress.

“It might not seem like it but I assure you we’ve been keeping constant surveillance and monitoring his condition. He is getting better.” The healer said.

“Then why the constant fevers? And the fatigue? And the seizures? You keep saying he’s getting better but every time I’m in that room he looks worse!”

“Recovery takes time and is not always obvious. And while the crystal is helping it is bringing some complications. I promise you my lord, we are doing everything we can to help him and keep him comfortable.” The healer’s tone and voice were a stark contrast to Regis shouting, calm and assuring and more importantly patient as though she had had this conversation multiple times with him in some form or another. Regis said nothing at first putting a hand to his head the dark circles under his eyes very obvious in the hallways lighting.

“I know. Thank you Medea.” Regis said and the healer looked surprised, but also relieved that there would be no more yelling. It gave her the chance to examine Regis’ face and note his unhealthy complexion.

“My lord when is the last time you had a proper night's sleep?” She asked. He did not answer which lead her to sigh. “I’m going to write you up a prescription for a sleep aid-”

“No! Thank you, but I’m fine-”

“I insist! It would do no good to have you both take ill.” The healer said her tone less that of a servant to a king and more a doctor that was not afraid to put there foot down. If Regis were in a better position he would be more stubborn however after weeks he was beginning to wear down. “Please return to your quarters and rest, I’ll have something sent to you by the end of the day.”

“Very well.” Regis said and as he turned his head he caught sight of the two boys still standing watching the scene. He smiled at them. “Back to see Noct are we?” He asked.

“Yes, sir.” Ignis said, “We hoped we would be able to visit him today.”

The king looked to Medea. “Would it be possible?” He asked and she sighed.

“I would prefer to keep visits to a minimum until he’s more aware of what’s going on around him, but a few minutes would not hurt.” She said looking back to bedroom then back to him. “Just please keep your voices down.”

The two boys could not hide their happiness and despite the healers’ warning rushed into the room. They were allowed to visit more and more as the days dragged into weeks and did so whenever they had the opportunity. Most of the time they went together but sometimes separate after Ignis’ private classes resumed and Gladiolus signed up for guard training.

Noctis recovery was slower than hoped, but as he entered his third month confined to bed he was starting to be awake more often and as a result be monitored less. The medical equipment remained in his room and there was almost always a healer on call just in case something happened. Gladiolus walked in one day while Ignis was at his special classes. No one was in the room today, except the patient in question who was staring blankly at the ceiling his arms wrapped around a stuffed frog Gladiolus had given him for his birthday years ago.

“Hey little guy.” He said and Noctis blinked his attention being shaken from whatever he was thinking about.

“Gladio.” He said identifying his friend right away. The first few times Ignis and Gladiolus visited his mind was jumbled and he was disoriented, having trouble remembering things like their names. The fact he acknowledged him right away brought the teenager some relief. He got a good look at Noctis’ eyes noting they were a dull grey. Ever since he became bound to the crystal they kept changing color. Sometimes they were there normal blue, when he had enough energy to laugh a little. Sometimes they were gold. That was the color they took on when the crystals energy was ravaging his body.

“How are you feeling?” He asked and Noctis answered with a small noise. “Not that good huh?”

“They keep giving me medicines that taste yucky.” He said and held up his arm. “And giving me strange drinks.”

“Yeah well those are supposed to help make you feel better.”

“Well they aren’t. They're gross.” Noctis said wrapping his arm tighter around his stuffed toy. “What’s wrong with me Gladio?”

“Do you remember the accident?” Gladiolus asked. Noctis frowned.

“I remember Stella and I being at the park. Then Stella screaming and Luna running away. Oh!” He reached over and pulled a card off the table that Gladiolus had not seen before. It had a picture of a lake and a lily pad on it. “I got this from Luna.”

Gladiolus took the card and opened it. It was a simple get well soon card with Luna’s name scribbled at the bottom in messy handwriting. Luna was the only one that had signed the card. Stella had not. Neither had the queen and king of Tenebrae. Somehow he was not surprised, he did not know all the details but after the accident Tenebrae and Lucis’ relationship had soured. “That was very nice of her.”

“I asked dad when I could see them again.” Noctis said sitting up a little. “He didn’t tell me. He said it was ‘complicated.’”

“Well, right now it is.” Gladiolus said. He was not going to give Noctis the details, the boy was smart and could probably figure it out on his own, and he did not want to upset him and make is condition worse. He watched as the boy yawned and curled up in the blankets. “I guess I’ll be cutting this visit short.” He said but before he could think of leaving Noctis’ skinny arm reached out from under the blankets and grabbed him.

“Don’t leave.”

“But you need to rest Noct.”

“Don’t want to.” Noctis said almost like a mumble.

“Well you need to or you won’t get better.”

“But I miss playing with you and Iggy.” The young prince said. “I miss playing outside. Can you take me outside Gladio?” His eyes were large and tired and Gladiolus noticed that small tears were forming in them. Gladiolus looked at him then behind him feeling conflicted. He should not move Noctis from the bed, but the look on his face was so painful that if he said no he would feel guilty about it. He debated the consequences in his head concluding that some fresh air and sunlight would be good for the prince.

“Okay, just for a few minutes.”

Moving Noctis was easy which worried him. The young boy had gotten very thin, something that the doctors had been concerned about. Noctis had always been small for his age, but now he looked underweight to the point of it being unhealthy for him. He barely weighted anything as Gladiolus lifted him out of bed and he resembled more a skeleton with skin on it than a young boy. He tried to get Noctis to stand on his feet but the boys legs collapsed on him and would have sent him to the floor if Gladiolus had not been holding onto him.

The sight was terrifying and made Gladiolus second guess bringing Noctis out of the room but before he could voice it he saw Noctis put on a stubborn face. The boy had always been stubborn, he got it from his father. “You're sure you want to go out?” He asked instead hoping Noctis would change his mind on his own. To his dismay the boy nodded. “Okay well I’ll have to carry you then.”

“That’s fine. I like it when you carry me.” Noctis said and Gladiolus was hoping this would not become a bad habit when he was older. He carried Noctis carefully out of his room and to the elevator and to his shock he was able to get him outside to the courtyard. He sat him down in the grass and the boy leaned against him his eyes drooping a bit.

“Oh now you decide to fall asleep on me.” Gladiolus said and Noctis perked up a little.

“Not falling asleep…” The small boy muttered struggling to keep his eyes open. He looked comfortable against Gladiolus though his head perked up as he saw a small frog hop over to them. “Froggy…” He said trying to push himself off and to his feet. He swayed and Gladiolus caught him.

“Hey easy there.” The older said putting a hand on Noctis forehead. He was a little warm. “I shouldn’t have brought you outside.”

“But I’m happy here.” Noctis said leaning against him. He did look a little brighter Gladiolus had to admit that. He let Noctis rest against him the young boy dozing on and off as they laid in the sun. The frog hopped a little closer landing on Noctis pajama pant leg making him laugh a little. “He’s so small.”

“Yeah a little one. Like you.” Gladiolus said.

“I’m not little.”

“If you say so small fry.” Glaidolus said and Noct pouted.  “You remember last year when we caught those frogs at the park. Do you remember how many we caught?”

“Umm…nine. I think.” Noctis said. “Can we go back and get more?”

“When you feel better.”

“But I’m better now…” The small boy protested but within seconds he had lost all his energy and just leaned against Gladiolus. The older held the small prince close to him letting him know that as long as he was with him Noctis was safe. Noctis curled himself closer using Gladiolus like an oversized pillow as he fell asleep. Gladiolus watched him fall into a peaceful sleep.

“We’ll go when you start feeling better.” He said. He did not know how long that would be but he made the promise anyway. They stayed in the courtyard, Noctis sleeping soundly against him, until Gladiolus started hearing the healer's calling for the prince in a panic.

* * *

 

The Duscae region was warm and muddy the only saving grace being the Chocobo Ranch and the gas station where Cindy was working on the Regalia. Gladiolus and the others had set up camp near Fociaugh Cavern, they would rest for the night and make their trek through the goblin infested cave in the morning. Prompto was busying himself with making a fire and Ignis was preparing ingredients for cooking. It was then that the noticed that one of them was missing.

“Where’s Noct?” Prompto asked. The other two looked around and Gladiolus saw panic hit Ignis.

“Highness!” He called. No response. “This is not good, I thought we told him not to wander off on his own. Highness!”

“What do we do?” Prompto asked.

“Simple, we split up and go find him.” Gladiolus said. “You two check the road, I’ll check the woods. We’ll message each other when we find him.”

Ignis agreed right away and took off for the street while Prompto hesitated a little before following after the royal advisor. Gladiolus took to the woods looking around for any signs of monsters or the dark haired twenty something in question. They were all worried for him, Noctis had been moodier than normal after the attack on Lucis and no one could blame him. The boy had been in a stupor for the first few days as his mind tried to process the destruction of Insomnia and the death of his father and fiance. The only thing that snapped him out of it was when the car broke down and they got tasked with hunting down a behemoth to pay off the repairs. But now the excitement was waning and Gladiolus could see he was starting to slip back into a depression.

Somehow Gladiolus had a feeling that the woodlands would be the location Noctis would go. He was not completely sure why but it just seemed to fit. Probably because it was easier to hide than on the road. And sure enough after going through some brush he found the young prince in a clearing curled up against the rocks watching the trees with a sad look on his face. He moved a little closer and Noctis did not notice but Gladiolus noticed fresh tear stains rolling down his cheeks. “Hey.” He said making the prince jump. He looked up at Gladiolus and then away wiping his eyes. “Hey no need to hide it.”

“What are you doing here?” Noctis asked his voice almost completely monotone.

“Looking for you.” Gladiolus said taking a seat next to him. “Look I’m not going to ask how you're feeling that’s the wrong question. But you know that you can just come to us if you need anything, you don’t have to run off. Actually it’s probably a bad idea to run off, Ignis is losing his hair.”

The last part was meant to be a joke but Noctis curled himself up a little closer guilt running over him for making Ignis worry. Gladiolus took note of how the boy just seemed to close up and put a hand on his shoulder to tell him he could relax. They said nothing for a little while before Noctis finally spoke up.

“How do you all do it?”

“Do what?”

“Just...keep going.” He asked. “I mean Prompto I guess I see, he’s told me that we’re more his family than his old family ever was, but Lucis was our home and your father was…” He put his hands to his head and Gladiolus had to put a hand on him to keep him from pulling at his hair. “You seem to be handling fine and...I’m...I can’t stop thinking about them.”

“Well…” Gladiolus said, “We all just have different ways of coping. You were never good at internalizing this stuff it.”

“They were in the chambers of the signing ceremony...” Noctis said and Gladiolus was not sure if he was talking about his father and Luna, their fathers, or all three. “They were right there, inside the castle, and I, the bombs, the ships...”

His breathing hitched and the tears were started to run again. Gladiolus wrapped an arm around him to let Noctis know he did not need to hide them and it was okay for him to cry. He already knew this would be a regular thing until Noctis could properly mourn. Noctis had a horrible habit of internalizing until the mental damn broke apart leaving him a mess of sobs. Despite Ignis formulating plans to get the crystal back from Niflheim the healing process had not fully begun and Gladiolus could guess it would not until they got to Lestallum and settled in somewhere so Noctis could mourn properly. Until then they would be there for him and help him in the best they could.

The sobs became a little louder and Gladiolus pulled Noctis into a hug rubbing his back to calm him down. “Everything is going to be okay.” He said assuring him the same way he did when Noctis cried out as a child upset because of how sick or tired he got when the crystal drew him to exhaustion or when his favorite pet frog died.

“It doesn’t feel like it.” Noctis said his voice quiet as he left himself lay limp in Gladiolus’ arms. “I feel like I'm losing my mind.”

Gladiolus put a hand on the younger boys head brushing away some of his hair. “You wanna know something?” He asked. No response but he continued anyway, “The one thing keeping me together right now, is you.” He said and that caught Noctis’ attention his bloodshot eyes looking at the elder man he saw as a brother. “I think when this is over and I have to bury my father, assuming there will be a body to bury, I’m going to want to go to the bar and get myself shitfaced. And I probably will. But until then, what I need to do is protect you. That’s how I’m handling.”

Silence again except for the sound of wind blowing as the sun set and it got cooler and the sound of cars driving by. Noctis’ sobs had quieted and eventually faded altogether his eyes half open as he dozed in his bodyguard’s arm. He looked comfortable and Gladiolus hated to move him but he knew they would need to get back to the camp by nightfall. He was just about to tell Noctis that they needed to get up to leave, when he noticed something very blue in the corner of his eye. A large blue and green frog just sitting on one of the rocks. “Hey look at that.” He said stirring the young prince and pointing over to the animal. “I don’t think I’ve seen one that color in a while.”

“Me neither.” Noctis said his attention fully on the frog. He moved out of Gladiolus’ grasp and got to his feet moving quietly over to it. He inspected it’s color and pattern and once sure the frog was not poisonous moved his hands close to it. Using the same trick Gladiolus taught him years ago he scooped the frog up gently in his hands. The frog made no noise breathing quickly nervous before calming down when it realized that Noctis was no threat to it. Gladiolus approached as he saw Noctis look at the frog his shoulders relaxing a small tired smile formed on his face. “This frog doesn’t look native to this region.” He said lifting the frog a bit closer studying it. “It looks kinda funny.”

“Yeah well its’ probably thinking the same thing about you.” Gladiolus said. Noctis tried to glare at him but it came out as more of a pout before switching to frown.

“Why do I get the feeling I’ve heard that before?” He asked not really to Gladiolus and more himself but the older man put a hand on his shoulder anyway. Noctis smiled liking the touch as he looked at the frog.

The small moment was interrupted when Gladiolus heard his phone go off. He pulled it out of his pocket and saw that Ignis had apparently tried calling twice already and this was his third attempt. He then remembered he was supposed to have told him that he found Noctis and swore under his breath. He answered the phone. “Yeah I’m here.” Gladiolus said and Noctis heard Ignis yelling in panic on the other end. “Yeah he’s with me. I just found him. He’s fine, just needed a pep talk. Yeah, we’re on our way.”

“Ignis?” Noctis guessed.

“Yup.” Gladiolus said, “We should be getting back to camp. Oh uh don’t bring the frog with you he might become dinner.”

It took two seconds for Noctis to put the frog back down on the rock he found him on but it took even longer for the boy to stop watching it as it hopped away. Gladiolus put a hand on his shoulder and the prince got to his feet walking behind him. Gladiolus noticed that he looked more cheerful an almost childlike smile on his face as the two returned to camp.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading I hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
